What is the hidden curriculum? The “hidden curriculum” or “invisible curriculum” refers to the unstated norms, policies, and expectations that students need to know to succeed in higher education but are often not taught explicitly. Your students might not know how to do things that seem quite rote and standard to someone more experienced, like… Read more »
Course Design
Course Design for Graduate Students: You’ve Got This!
Midway through the 2022 spring semester, I walked into my classroom and was greeted by one of my students giving her classmates an impromptu presentation on educational best practices, punctuated with examples of work I’d been doing in her classroom. Despite the student’s praise and the fact that she was connecting claims and evidence (a… Read more »
Tips for Instructors of Large Multi-section Courses
A new instructor recently asked us for general tips and advice for teaching large multi-section courses. I reached out to our seasoned instructors and here’s what they passed on. First steps The main thing that comes to mind is to always keep the scale in mind. Otherwise it can become totally overwhelming! Take time to… Read more »
Write a Syllabus that Supports Student and Instructor Mental Health
According to one national survey of 31,048 students conducted in 2020 by the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU), “35% of undergraduates screened positive for major depressive disorder and 39% screened positive for generalized anxiety disorder” (Soria, Horgu, and Luu, 2020). The profound effects of Covid-19 on student mental health will likely continue during… Read more »
Transparency in Learning and Teaching: Small Changes, Big Impact
If you want to improve your teaching and your students’ learning, one challenge you face may be finding the time to make major revisions to your courses or teaching practices. But what if you could make small, easily implemented changes in your teaching methods and assignments that would have a big impact on your students’… Read more »
What Will You Keep This Fall? Susan Siena on More Frequent Tests
In my last video in this series, Dr. Susan Siena from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs talks with me about moving from a few higher-stakes exams to more frequent, lower-stakes ones. Susan has evidence that students see better connections between exams and the course content, due to the more immediate assessments, and… Read more »